Also is Rivian’s e-bike and tiny EV future

Also is the latest development for Rivian, with the EV brand spinning-off its in-house micromobility lab into a new company.

Supported by $105m of series B funding and located in the enabling environment of California, Also is conceptually tasked with developing next-generation e-bikes, scooters and crucially, compact EVs.

It’s a strategic move by Rivian, which has invested more than a decade of R&D into the large pickup and SUV EVs that the conventional market demands.

With Also, the product mission will be completing the entire transport and personal mobility ecosystem, with complementary e-bikes, scooters and truly visionary next-generation compact EVs. The tiny battery cars that all transport designers dream of.

Also will rethink tiny EVs

The issue with compact EVs is proportionally high battery and powertrain costs, which reduce margins below profitability. There’s just no business case for the conventional automotive OEM supply chain and the sourcing pressure of Chinese batteries for compact EVs.

Apple failed with its iCar. And all legacy OEMs, aside from some margin models from Stellantis and Renault in Europe, have failed to deliver compact EVs.

Making more sense of e-mobility

For most inner-city and short-distance applications, compact EVs make much more sense. Their smaller batteries guarantee rapid recharging from existing charger infrastructure. And smaller vehicle dimensions ease traffic pressure, especially in notorious traffic zones like Los Angeles and New York.

The Also team features excellent engineers, familiar with the micromobility ecosystem. Car companies have tried to include e-bikes as part of their product portfolio, but most of these have been disappointing rebrands from existing e-bike manufacturers. Instead of original designs with true innovation.

Rivian founder, RJ Scaringe, is a keen mountain biker and understands what riders want from a more versatile technology-integrated e-bike solution. Scaringe will also be serving as chairperson of Also.

Also understands e-bikes

Three years ago, Rivian recruited one of the best minds in cycling product design and futurism, Specialized’s chief technology officer, Chris Yu.

With an aeronautics PhD from Stanford and a decade of experience leading innovation at Specialized, one of the world’s most respected cycling companies, Yu has excellent micromobility credentials. He has now moved from his role as Vice President of Rivian’s future programs to becoming President of Also.

If anyone can unlock the potential of integrated and private micromobility, with rider-centric e-bikes and revolutionary compact EVs, it’s probably the team at Also, led by Chris Yu.